Sinus Surgery Was Harder Than I Expected

A month before the surgery, I had a CT scan so my doctor could locate my sinuses precisely. He told me the sinus surgery was more complicated than my tonsillectomy (I had one in my late 20s).

I don’t know if it’s because I’m older, but the recovery from this surgery was much harder than I'd expected. The worst part didn't happen immediately after I woke up, though I do tend to get sick from general anesthesia. I had discussed this with my doctor ahead of time and they added something to the anesthesia that helped the nausea.

The really difficult part was that I felt like I couldn't breathe. My nasal cavity was packed with material and I couldn’t breathe through my nose. Breathing through my mouth was hard too because I’d had a tube down my throat, and it was sore. I don’t think of myself as being claustrophobic, but waking up and not being able to breathe—well, it was a little scary. And it was difficult to breathe out of my mouth all the time.

Also, the surgery was done on an outpatient basis—I arrived at 7:30 a.m. and left at 2 p.m. That was a surprise too; I really could have used a few days of recovery. One of my doctors had the same procedure done in Germany, and she spent several days in the hospital. For me, it was tough to go directly home after surgery. But they want you in and out.

The first two days after the surgery were the worst. I couldn’t sleep because I still had to breathe through my mouth, and it kept waking me up. I went in to have the packing removed two days later, which the doctor did through my nose. It wasn’t painful, but it definitely was an uncomfortable feeling. At the same time, it was a relief to have it out. After that I felt much better—but not for long.

My nasal cavity area started scabbing, which made it hard to breathe again. This happens to everyone and I was supposed to wait a week to go back to have the scabs removed. However, I couldn't wait because I was having so much trouble breathing. After only five days I went to see my doctor, and he cleaned out the scabbing, using a tweezers-type device and a scope that he inserted through my nostrils. Like having the packing taken out, it wasn’t painful, but it was uncomfortable. I had to go back every week for six weeks to repeat the scab removal process, which is typical for people recovering from the surgery. Not to be disgusting, but it’s amazing what’s in there. At first I couldn’t look, but by the sixth week I got kind of interested.

It was a good two weeks after the surgery before I felt good, and it definitely took longer before I was able to breathe fully through my nose. But now my nasal passages are much clearer.

My insurance covered the procedure, and I only had to pay the hospital co-pay.

Unfortunately, I'm still not completely free of sinus infections. I've gotten a couple of them since the surgery, but that may have just been because I was run down after recovering from the operation. And my 8-year-old son was sick, so he may have passed something along to me.

Still, I’m glad I had the surgery done. It wasn’t a cakewalk, though, and I think it’s much tougher than many people think. It's possible that mine was more difficult because I also had the deviated septum. However, I’m hoping that as time goes by, it will just keep on getting better, and my sinus infections will be a thing of the past. I feel much better already.

Related Stories

• Expert Advice on Recognizing, Treating, and Avoiding Sinus Infections
• Types of Surgery for Sinusitis